Householders yet to pay charge face €144 bill

Anybody who failed to pay the household charge by close of business yesterday faces an increased charge of €144 from today, the Department of the Environment said yesterday.

The department revealed that as of noon last Friday, 1.2m properties had been registered, bringing in a total of €123,177,722.

The charge was replaced with the property tax on Jan 1 but those who had failed to pay the charge in 2012 had the arrears capped at €130 provided they paid by May 1.

Now those liable for the charge must pay €144, with the charge rising to €145 for the month of June.

After that it will rise to €200 and the Revenue Commissioners will take over the task of securing the outstanding monies.

The latest figures show that 59% of households who registered for the charge did so online.

The total number of properties registered with payments stood at 1,178,722, with about 1,300 applications on hand awaiting resolution of queries including incorrect amount applications.

Another 23,711 properties were registered as a waiver for the charge.

The Local Government Management Agency is currently managing the registration and payment of the outstanding charges.

Environment Minister Phil Hogan has defended the rate of registration among the estimated 1.6m liable households.

It is believed that as many as 400,000 properties have yet to be registered for the charge, and efforts to target those who have still not paid will be stepped up once local authorities begin providing the Revenue Commissioners with details, by which time additional interest and penalties may apply.

Revenue has said it will use data provided by the Local Government Management Agency as well as from gas and electricity companies and other sources.

Outstanding household charge payments will be amalgamated with property tax charges.